Carlsbad Kickboxing: Practical Self-Defense and Conditioning
Getting in shape and learning valuable life skills actually can be fun! People around the world have been studying Kickboxing to achieve peak physical fitness, learn self-defense skills and increase their self-confidence and discipline. Training in disciplines such as Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, Wrestling, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Kung Fu, Krav Maga and Tae Kwon Do teach valuable physical, mental and spiritual skills that aid people in all areas of their lives.
Kickboxing can include a number of martial arts styles so it can be difficult to trace its exact origins. Generally, it refers to stand-up martial arts that allow participants to both punch and kick. There are many known styles of Kickboxing prevalent today including: American, Low Kick, Points Fighting, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Chinese boxing and Shoot Boxing.
How is American Kickboxing Different Than Muay Thai?
American Kickboxing
American Kickboxing combines aspects of Boxing and Karate. Unlike other styles of Kickboxing, fighters can use their fists and feet to punch and kick their opponent above the waist. Elbows and knees are not permitted in American Kickboxing bouts; neither are clinch fighting and grappling.
Muay Thai – Thai Boxing
Known as the “Art of Eight Limbs,” Muay Thai allows practitioners to use their hands, elbows, knees and feet to strike their opponent. Muay Thai is different than any other style of Kickboxing because it includes clinch fighting, sweeps and throws. It also allows fighters to use both high and low kicks.
Common Kickboxing Moves
Kickboxing uses many of the same techniques as traditional Karate and Boxing. Different styles of competitive Kickboxing allow certain moves, while forbidding others. Even everyday Kickboxing students will learn many of these traditional moves. Some of the most commonly learned techniques that Kickboxing students learn in their training programs include:
- Punches: Jab, cross, hook, uppercut
- Kicks: Front kick, side kick, back kick, roundhouse kick
- Knee and Elbow: Straight knee, side knee, flying knee; side elbow, up elbow, down elbow
- Defense: Bob and weave, blocks, clinches
Why Study Kickboxing?
Kickboxing provides students with a challenging, high-intensity workout that trains them in the use of practical skills they can use on the streets. Not only do Kickboxing students get in amazing shape, they learn how to use their bodies to protect and defend themselves from threats.
At SwiftKick Martial Arts Carlsbad, we mix Kickboxing techniques into our training programs because we strive to give our students the most practical and diverse self-defense training possible. Apart from the ability to defend against any kind of attack, SwiftKick students come away with other valuable benefits that they can call upon when facing any work, life or relationship challenge.
Training at SwiftKick Carlsbad Will Give You:
Confidence: Imagine moving throughout your day with the sense of confidence that comes from knowing you can defend yourself against a larger, stronger opponent. Consider what having an endless supply of inner strength and self-assurance could do to enhance your life. Martial arts training gives you the physical skills and the mental agility to think and act with confidence.
Fitness: The techniques taught in Kickboxing and other martial arts require our bodies to work hard. Consistent training will help you lose weight and produce gains in your endurance, stamina, muscle tone, flexibility and balance. Kickboxing workouts will challenge both your mind and body and help you achieve the results you want.
Community: The SwiftKick community is comprised of supportive, positive and health-minded people who share a common goal: to gain the confidence and skills for self-defense. More than that, they share a mutual respect and sense of cooperation and a desire to be fit. When you train at a martial arts gym, it becomes a lifestyle and not just a fitness class.